Update: 24.10.2020

Program Qualification Level

Associate Degree

Objectives of the Program

With the increase in the quality of health care provided with technological and medical advances, the average life expectancy of the person increases and both the incidence and the prevalence of chronic diseases such as renal failure increase. Chronic renal failure has become an important health problem for our country due to the increase in the life expectancy of our patients. According to 2017 data of Turkish Society of Nephrology, the number of patients receiving hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatment is 61.981, while the number of newly added patients is 10.552 each year. In parallel with the increasing number of patients, there is a need for dialysis technicians to serve these patients. The aim of this course is to educate dialysis technicians who can perform all kinds of medical care of patients who need renal replacement therapy, train hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients, perform routine patient follow-up, prepare hemodialysis devices to dialysis, perform vascular access, carry out sterilization and surface disinfection works, is sensitive to people, society and ethical principles, respectful to himself and his environment, has gained proficiency in the profession; who is aware of the importance of their profession and work, aim to improve themselves continuously and adopt scientific thinking

Educational Type of Program

Full time formal education

Educational Language of Program

Turkish

Qualification Awarded

Students who successfully complete the program graduate with Associate Degree Diploma and receive the title “Dialysis Technician”

Length and Process of the Program

Our program includes compulsory / elective courses as well as practical courses. In the program, which is a total of two years (four semesters), the first year generally includes basic science courses such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology and pharmacology, as well as clinical science courses related to nephrology and basic dialysis and first aid. In the second year, clinical problems in dialysis patients, dialysis and other extracorporeal treatment methods in special patient groups, as well as basic patient care and nutrition courses are given. In addition, our students receive practical training given by educational nurses in dialysis units of SUAMs (Health Research and Application Centers) in our university as 8 hours per week in the first year and 16 hours per week in the second year. Each student in our program has 30 days of summer internship at a center to be arranged upon his/her choice or by our university. In our program there are two doctoral faculty members in the Nephrology and Internal Medicine branch who are graduates of the faculty of medicine and our theoretical courses are taught by these two faculty members and faculty members of other programs at the vocational school.

Application to the Program, Registrations and Admission by Transfer

Student admission to the department takes place in case of completing the processes determined by OSYM / passing the exams within the framework of the academic and legal regulations of the university. In line with the relevant regulations established by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), admission to this program is made according to the YGS-2 score type with the central examination system called LYS. The students are placed in the related programs by the Student Selection and Placement Center according to the score they get from this exam after informing the program preferences they want to study.

For each year, in-house transfer can be made within the unit or between units within equivalent diploma programs of the same level within the quota determined by the relevant board, not exceeding fifteen percent (15%) of the student quota stipulated in the OSYM Higher Education Programs and Quota Guide. Higher Education Council determines the transfer quota for 3 people for the second-year students regularly from the equivalent diploma programs of other universities to the diploma programs within the units of University of Health Sciences.

Job and Academic Career Opportunities for Graduates

According to the new dialysis regulation published in 2019, nurses were prevented from working on dialysis with the certification program, and only dialysis technicians graduated from vocational schools were allowed to work in dialysis centers and an advantage was given to dialysis technicians after graduation. In our program, each student graduates with the knowledge and application equipment to work easily in hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis centers. Graduated students can work in dialysis units of all public and private hospitals. Dialysis technicians are needed in institutions and organizations affiliated to the Ministry of Health. Public hospitals, university hospitals, and private hospitals and polyclinics constitute a serious employment alternative for the graduates of this program. Graduates usually take the KPSS exam because they prefer public hospitals. Those who get enough points to be appointed in the KPSS exam will be employed in a state health institution as a civil servant. Those who cannot be appointed with KPSS have the opportunity to work in private hospitals or private dialysis centers. Students who complete our program can work as a dialysis technician in public hospitals or private centers. In addition, students who wish to take the transfer exam, can switch to Nursing, Nursing and Health Services departments according to their DGS scores.